


Always and Forever

by nevereverever



Series: Three Thirds Make A Whole [4]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Angst, Fluff, LIKE EVER, Multi, Speeches, also this is going to be my last fic, elams is my life, just a lil bit, so enjoy!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-21
Updated: 2016-09-21
Packaged: 2018-08-16 11:09:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8100172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nevereverever/pseuds/nevereverever
Summary: John is asked to give a speech on gun control after the incident. They work it out together.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! 
> 
> if you haven't followed along with this series, welcome! And you should probably read back. If you are an old timer then thank you so much for reading. I really appreciate it.

“Why would they ask me to speak? What do I know?” John asked, staring with fiery eyes at the email emblazoned across his screen. The subject was Gun Control Rally Keynote and it had burned itself into John's brain forever.

“You know what it’s like to get shot.” Alexander piped up from the couch, not even looking up from whatever he was working on.

“Wow, real delicate there Alex,” John responded. He lobbed a crumpled piece of paper across the room and hit Alexander straight in the face which, honestly, he deserved. 

“Alex, be nice!” Eliza called from the kitchen where she was making them dinner. Someone had to, or else none of them would get fed. Eliza wasn't a great cook, but she was willing and that was half the battle.

“Joke! That was a joke. You know lots of things John. You’ve been pushing for gun control for years. You know more than practically anyone else on the Hill.” Alex said, gesticulating wildly, “You have practical experience, plus you’re an easy face of the movement. Why wouldn’t they ask you?” He returned to his work with just slightly less fervor, as if to say ‘go on, I’m listening.’

“What will I say?” John sputtered, exasperated. He ran a hand through his hair like he always did when he was anxious. It was getting better. He could raise his arm above his head without needing an oxy. Which was good because he could think again, and thinking was something he was always good at. 

“Say what you’ve always said, except add in the part about what happened,” Eliza responded, waving a wooden spoon for effect. John laughed.

“You look like an angry housewife!” John cried through his giggles. Eliza bopped him on the head with the spoon and went back to cooking. John wiped stray specks of soup off of his forehead and wrinkled his nose.

“I do not. I'm the opposite of a housewife. Except for all of the cooking.” She stirred the soup she was making and then walked back into the living room and sat directly on top of John.

“Hey.” He said, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. 

“Hey. Dinner’s almost ready, so maybe wrap up this existential crisis soon, yeah?” she smiled and kissed him again.

“Okay. I just don’t know if I should do it or not. I mean, 10,000 people is a lot. I just don’t know if I can do this Bets.” He wrapped his arms around Eliza and placed his head on her shoulder. Eliza scoffed.

“Oh shut up! You’re doing it.” John tried to object but Eliza silenced him with a kiss, “I’m not taking no for an answer.” she said as she pulled away. She grinned and ran back to the kitchen to pour the soup.

“Fine! Will you guys help me draft it though?” John said hesitantly. 

Alexander closed his laptop and smiled, finally putting down his work for the promised distraction of soup and speeches. “Of course.”

And so they wrote, and rewrote, and rewrote until it was 4 in the morning and they had consumed all the soup. And 6 cups of coffee among them. And half the food in their house. But they were happy. John smiled as they all curled up to get whatever precious hours of sleep they could before work. They had done it.

John bounced and jittered their whole way to the mall. Alexander had given up trying to calm him the night before, it seemed no use. Eliza had simply placed a steadying palm on his thigh. An ‘I’m here, don’t worry.’ That was Eliza, always quiet. She knew he didn’t need words, he just needed them to be there.

They pushed their way through swarms of people to get to the organizers, who were running every which way trying to get everything coordinated. With every step, it got more real. With every step closer to the podium-full of microphones, he was one step closer to actually doing it. 

The sheer numbers of people were impressive on their own, and to think they would be listening to him, John could hardly stand it. But before he knew it, he was in front of the podium, and the crowd had quieted.

“Hello, everyone. I’m Senator John Laurens, and I’ve come here today to give two different perspectives about gun control because I’ve lived two different perspectives. First, I’m going to talk to you about the numbers, because I’m a Senator and that’s what I do.” And with that, John launched into his seamlessly rehearsed speech. He knew it by heart because he had practically been giving it for 10 years. 

Eliza was right. He knew this part. Until-

“And now, the hard part. I’m going to speak to you all as a victim of gun violence.” A halfhearted smile flickered across his lips. “Now I could tell you about the pain. I could tell you about how it felt to come to the brink of death and return. I’m not going to do either of those. Because you’ve heard those before.” The crowd went quieter, almost as if they were afraid to say anything.

“Instead, I’m going to tell you about my family. I have a wife and a husband. You probably know them. Elizabeth Schuyler, she runs the DC Women in Crisis Center. Alexander Hamilton, he’s the Treasury Secretary. We have a turtle, he’s called Rupert.” a tinkle of laughter from the crowd, “They are both kind, and smart, and dedicated, and so so caring. And when I got shot, I saw what it did to them.” John felt the tears building in his eyes and took a deep breath before continuing.

“Now, when I was finally aware enough to process what had happened, I felt remarkably lucky to be alive. But Eliza and Alex, I think they might have had it harder than me, because that whole time where it could have gone either way… they didn’t know if I was going to be okay. And it hurt them. And I don’t want to see anyone else hurt like that.” John sniffled and smiled, trying to push away any tears.

“No other family should have to go through what ours did. Not a single one. And yet every day, many more husbands and wives will sit in hospital waiting rooms and be told that the person they love most in the world isn’t coming back.”

“Eliza and Alex are the lucky ones.” He went off script. He couldn’t see Alex but he could picture the shock on his face, which cute enough that John giggled, “Although I don’t know if spending the rest of your life with me is very lucky. But even so, our lives will never be the same.” He diverted back onto the script and sooner than he realized, it was over.

In a daze, John practically stumbled back to the small backstage area that the organizers had set up for the speakers. He closed his eyes and took a breath as if the darkness of his eyelids could melt away the 10,000 people he had just given a speech too. He slowed his breathing, and as soon as he was sure he wasn’t going to pass out, he was grabbed from behind.

“AHHH! You did so well! I cried a lot! Alex did too! But he won’t admit it because he’s Alex. Also there are like 16 ½ news organizations that want you to give a comment but I made sure they’re giving us time.” Eliza rambled into John’s shoulder. John turned around to hug her properly, and spotted Alex with puffy eyes and tear streaked cheeks looking on. 

“Thanks, Bets. I couldn’t have done it without you. You too Alex.” John said, pulling Alex into their big group hug. In the corner of his eyes, he could see people taking pictures, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

 

They arrived back at their house with a tired and grumbling John in tow. He was pretty tuckered out after the speech and the press junket after press junket. He mostly just wanted to collapse directly into bed.

"Do you think if I lay here long enough I could become my blankets?" John asked, only half joking. Alex laughed and rubbed slow, smooth circles into John's back, and earned a small sigh in reward.

"Well, I certainly encourage you to try," Alex paused for a brief moment, "Is that true what you said today, about you not being sure we want to stick with you?"

"It was mostly a joke," John said, suddenly feeling at least a little bit defensive. He didn't know quite why.

"John," Eliza said from the doorway with just a tinge of sadness gracing her voice, "I don't care if you get shot 20 more times, or if you get captured, or if you are the most stubborn man," Eliza looked at Alex and revised, "Second most stubborn man in the world. I will love you. Always and forever." She planted a firm kiss on his lips. An I'm not going anywhere type kiss. An I love you to the moon and back type kiss. An I'm so glad you're still here type kiss.

"Always and forever,"Alex repeated, as he laid his head on John's shoulder.

And then all of them were quiet, because there was nothing left to say.

Always  
and  
Forever.

Fin.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading everyone! I'm going to stop writing fanfiction now, so this is my last work. It was nice getting to improve my writing in such a welcoming community. Thanks so much!
> 
> <3


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